Rhyolite Ridge Sustainability

LOW EMISSIONS

Ioneer’s planned processing facility includes a sulfuric acid plant and related steam turbine, which will allow the Project to produce sufficient electricity to power its entire operation. This means zero reliance on the Nevada electrical grid and minimal use of fossil fuels to produce needed electricity. Electricity generated in this manner produces minimal CO2 emissions and minimal hazardous air pollutants and is considered green co-generation.

REDUCED WATER NEEDS

Water use associated with Ioneer’s production of materials is extremely low compared to other lithium producers, especially those that utilize brine extraction and solar evaporation. The design is optimized to reduce water demand and will recycle a majority of the water used in the refining process.

QUARRY LAKE

When mining is complete and operational dewatering ceases, the groundwater system will recover and a terminal quarry lake is predicted to remain. As groundwater levels recover, the quarry lake level will slowly rise and approach the pre-mining static water level; however, the quarry lake level will remain below the surrounding groundwater levels due to evaporation from the lake surface and act as a hydrologic sink with groundwater flowing into the quarry lake from all directions. The ultimate quarry lake elevation is predicted to be 5,720 feet above mean sea level. This recovery of the groundwater table is predicted to occur over several decades, with the majority occurring within approximately 35 to 40 years.

DEWATERING AND DEPRESSURIZATION

In-pit dewatering will be necessary in all stages of quarry progression to maintain a dry, stable floor, as the lower hydraulic conductivity of the Cave Springs formation provides a barrier to groundwater flow in the quarry. Dewatering rates are predicted to range from 65 to 120 gallons per minute. A minimum of one dewatering area will be maintained at all times in the lowest area of the pit floor. This water will be pumped out of the quarry using dewatering pumps where it will be sent to the process circuit for reuse. Storm water controls will be constructed around the perimeter of the pit, before the quarrying process begins in the respective area, to limit the quantity of water in the pit.

WILDLIFE & FLORA PROTECTION

One of the fourteen environmental baseline studies completed by Ioneer focused on characterizing the flora and fauna of the area. Amongst other species, this study concentrated on Tiehm’s buckwheat, a plant that is listed as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) . Ioneer fully supports the FWS’ decisions regarding the ongoing management and protection of Tiehm’s buckwheat populations, including an ESA listing. Information on our conservation efforts for Tiehm’s buckwheat is described in further detail below.

MAINTAINING PUBLIC ACCESS

One of Ioneer’s primary tenets in developing the Plan of Operations for the Project was to allow for ongoing safe public access through the Project Area. Accordingly, Ioneer conducted an analysis of roads within the Project Area to ensure that the we can safely retrieve and process the ore, while simultaneously ensuring safe public access to the areas around the site.

Ioneer continues to work closely with Esmeralda County to ensure that the access road is improved and maintained in a manner that preserves access for the public through and around the Project.

PROTECTING VISUAL RESOURCES

A Visual Resources Technical Report was prepared in 2020 to characterize existing conditions associated with visual aspects in and around the Project Area. Ioneer is committed to minimizing the visual impact of activities and structures to viewers along publicly accessible roadways and public use areas. Dark sky lighting best practices will also minimize the effects of lighting on wildlife that may be present in the area, including bats.

Several examples of measures Ioneer intends to implement include:

• Careful placement and blending of stored materials to minimize contrast
• Selection of building sites and new roads such that they would be hidden from view behind topographical features, where possible
• Consultation with BLM on choice of colors of machinery, fencing, and powerlines; lighting design and color
• Design, color, and surface texture treatments for the Processing Plant structures.
• To minimize the effects from lighting, Ioneer will utilize hooded stationary lights, where lighting will be directed onto the pertinent site only and away from adjacent areas not in use, with safety and proper lighting of the active work areas being a priority.

ESTABLISHING A PROTECTION PLAN

Ioneer has developed and implemented a BLM approved comprehensive Tiehm’s Buckwheat Protection Plan that includes strict measures that have been in place since Ioneer commenced exploration at Rhyolite Ridge in 2016. The goal of these voluntary measures is to ensure that the plant and its habitat are protected, and that the potential impacts caused by development of the Project are minimized.

A central component of the Buckwheat Protection Plan involves complete avoidance of all populations of Tiehm’s Buckwheat, with a buffer zone between all mining activities and the plants. In the meantime, Ioneer is committed to increasing the area of the buckwheat population.

WORKING WITH REGULATORS

The protection and conservation of Tiehm’s buckwheat is a key component in Ioneer’s environmental stewardship and incorporated into all aspects of our planning and permitting activities. In July 2022, the Company submitted to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) a revised Plan of Operations that incorporated additional key commitments relating to buckwheat conservation:

• Minimizing and mitigating indirect impacts utilizing standard operating measures; and
• Minimizing disturbance within designated critical habitat.

Ioneer’s ongoing conservation efforts for Tiehm’s buckwheat are aimed at addressing current and future threats to the species, including climate-related threats. Under the supervision of a full-time botanist, the Company is conducting scientific research to further increase knowledge of the species and is now operating a dedicated greenhouse in Nevada where plants are being successfully grown from seed collected from the known populations

DEVELOPING A CONSERVATION PLAN

Ioneer is actively working with experts, regulators and stakeholders to develop a comprehensive Tiehm’s buckwheat conservation plan that will be implemented during the length of mining operations.

In furtherance of this commitment, Ioneer has budgeted $1M over the next several years to conduct research and implement conservation measures to address existing risks to Tiehm’s buckwheat, and to uplift and expand the species.

In June of 2022, Ioneer began the process to construct a dedicated greenhouse in Nevada to grow Tiehm’s buckwheat from seeds collected at Rhyolite Ridge. We were also proud to hire a full-time botanist who will oversee the greenhouse and growing of the plant. The knowledge gained through our greenhouse activities will also help to guide future propagation and transplant studies as we seek to expand the Tiehm’s buckwheat population.

MINIMIZING POTENTIAL IMPACTS

Ioneer initiated a full survey of the existing Tiehm’s buckwheat population prior to any field activities. We have conducted all work in consultation with regulatory authorities and guidelines and have taken great care to avoid the buckwheat subpopulations.

These efforts included modifying locations of boreholes to avoid the plants, drilling boreholes in several directions from a common drill pad to reduce the total amount of surface disturbance, educating employees and contractors about the plant, and other avoidance measures.

Implementation of Fugitive Dust Best Management Practices will be employed to verify that there is no deposition of dust within any of the subpopulations.

Targeted control efforts utilizing best practices will be employed to limit the spread of invasive plant species and treat infestations as appropriate.

ENGAGING BUCKWHEAT SPECIALISTS

Ioneer has retained the services of academic and commercial experts to augment its biological team and develop protection measures that will ensure the persistence of the plant in natural conditions. These specialists are well respected within the botanical sciences and all are members of the Eriogonum Society, a professional association whose members have expertise in evaluating, propagating, and protecting various types of buckwheat.

Ioneer is working with The Conservation Fund to further explore viable options around protection and conservation efforts for Tiehm’s buckwheat. The Conservation Fund is one of the largest non-profit environmental groups in the United States and has commenced work with relevant federal agencies on buckwheat conservation strategies.

ENHANCING KNOWLEDGE WITH RESEARCH

Ioneer worked with researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) over thirteen months to conduct a propagation and transplant trial for Tiehm’s buckwheat. The project successfully grew over 1,000 Tiehm’s buckwheat seedlings in the UNR greenhouse from seeds collected at Rhyolite Ridge, which were planted in three test sites in the Project Area in April 2020.

In January 2021, Ioneer announced key findings from a research report authored by UNR scientists. Importantly, the report greatly advanced existing knowledge of Tiehm’s buckwheat and creates the foundation for future efforts to ensure long term protection, and uplift of the plant in its natural habitat at Rhyolite Ridge. As the first study of its type to be completed for Tiehm’s buckwheat and the first study of any kind on the plant in over 10 years, UNR’s report represents a major step forward in the understanding of this species.

Consistent with Ioneer’s commitment to the environment and desire to ensure a sustainable buckwheat population at Rhyolite Ridge, Ioneer has expanded the scope of its work with commercial research partners while also continuing to collaborate with academic researchers to determine the best ways to uplift this species.

IONEER REMAINS COMMITTED TO TIEHM’S BUCKWHEAT CONSERVATION

Ioneer remains committed to pursuing conservation efforts for Buckwheat which address current gaps in our scientific knowledge of the species and to address threats that are unrelated to our proposed mining activities. We have completed numerous studies and greatly advanced scientific knowledge of the plant. This work has resulted in several new clarifications from previous studies.

Moreover, Ioneer has budgeted $1,000,000 over the next several years to conduct research and implement conservation measures to address risks to the species that are not related to our mining activities.

Ioneer intends to continue its cooperative work with interested agencies on these efforts. Examples of the kinds of studies that could be cooperatively developed with the BLM and the FWS include, but may not be limited to:

• Field surveys for new populations
• Seed collection and banking
• Herbivory monitoring
• Pollinator studies
• Seeding studies
• Ecological studies to understand the factors determining the distribution of Buckwheat
• Propagation and transplant studies
• Demographic Monitoring
• Population modeling
• Climate monitoring
• Genetic analyses

Based upon the best available science, we are highly confident that with a combination of avoidance and transplanting, as has been successfully demonstrated with other mat buckwheat species in the region, we can achieve the successful coexistence of Tiehm’s buckwheat and our environmentally important project, which will supply critically needed lithium products in the U.S.